Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba has been extremely kind and loving in giving me the chance of being a student in His Institute (and hopefully for life too). I would like to share personal experiences with Swami and thoughts that He has inspired via many episodes through this blog.

Friday, 20 May 2016

I am God and You are God - Swami's core teaching

The Bourne IdentityI remember watching an action thriller movie by the name, “The Bourne Identity”. It was the story of an amnesiac (person suffering a memory-loss) who attempts to discover his true identity. He has many special skills, talents, abilities and a super intelligence. Yet, he has no idea about who he is, where he came from and where he should be headed to. He keeps living in the world, enjoying many successes and the love of a companion while constantly trying to avoid the pitfalls, problems and plots against him. More importantly, he is also trying to find out who he is and where he came from using all his abilities and intelligence.

The movie was indeed a ‘thriller’ for me as it thrilled me in more than one way! Of course, the action and the unfolding of the plot kept me gripped but even amidst that tension and drama, my dear Swami inspired a thought from within.

A still from the movie - Bourne Identity. The 'hero' has multiple identities (read as passports) but none of them are his true identity.

All of us are like the protagonist in that movie. We have our own set of special skills, talents, abilities and intelligence. But, we have no idea of where we have come from, where we are going to and who we are. We have become amnesiacs in that respect! We too should take inspiration from the protagonist and utilize all our skills, abilities and intelligence in finding out our true identities. More often than not, we use them to just to deal with day-to-day living and forget all about the quest. Seeking the reality should happen at least in the theoretical and intellectual level before becoming a part of our being!That is why Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba often stresses, “Education should be for life and not for mere living.”

Our "Born" Identity

It was during one of the famous Trayee Sessionsat the Brindavan Ashram in Whitefield (Bengaluru) that the following episode took place.

Trayee sessions were always memorable but this one was poignant too in the message it conveyed.

Swami entered the jhoola room (the room where there is an ornate swing on which Swami sits). Even as He walked in, it appeared as though He was lost in thought. After a while, He looked at the students and asked,
“Do you all believe that I am God?”

Sitting among the students, I wondered what sort of a question this was -

"Was the Lord in doubt? He has been the one who has always encouraged me to develop Self-confidence and He is asking this question today?"

These were the foolish thoughts that cross a deluded mind and mine was in total delusion. I joined the chorus of all the students as we screamed out,

“Yes Swami.”

Swami seemed to feel a little better. And then, He made a second statement which was like another question for us...

“Then, all that I speak is the Truth...”

That was more of a statement than a question and we all responded in the same enthusiasm and energy,
“Yes Swami.”

In an instant, Swami said,
“All of you are also God.”

There was pin-drop silence. Everyone just looked at Him. There was no resounding, “Yes Swami” for that statement. We 'believe' Swami is God and 'believe' that all His words are the 'Highest Truth' but can simply not digest it when He says that we are no different from Him!

When I look back at this incident today, I feel that Swami might have been disappointed with us that day!

Believing we are God - the 'gravity' of the situation

Swami's core teaching is the fact that everyone is divine. When asked about whether he was God, Swami replied,

“Yes, I am God and so are you. The only difference between you and I is that while I am aware of this fact, you are not.”

There is a HUGE deal in fact! That is because, whether we believe it or not, the fact remains - just like the working of gravity.

There was once a person who pooh-poohed gravity saying that he did not believe it existed. However hard anybody tried to convince him with theories and experiments, he was simply not ready to believe in gravity's existence. A wise man told him to step of the terrace of a tall building for he did not believe in gravity. The ‘hero’ backed off! Whether one believes in gravity or not, it exists and works. So too, whether we believe in our divinity or not, it works and every thought that arises in us is indeed the Vajra Sankalpa.Our will is as powerful as the Will of God for it is indeed the Will of God!

Now we see the practical implications. Every time a negative thought arises in our head, we are actually God willing something negative. Though it is only the positive that we seek, we end up thinking negative. For instance, we want to have good relations with everyone around and do not want to hate or abhor anyone. However, when a ‘marked’ person comes close we start thinking,
“Oh my god! Here he comes. I know now he is going to irritate me!”

And when the outcome happens just as we thought, we feel that though we seek good, we end up with bad. It is not the intent but the content of our thoughts that matter. For our thoughts are the thoughts of God!

My mind instantly flashed back to the 21st of July, 2008. It was the second day of the Educare conference in Prasanthi Nilayam, Puttaparthi. Swami had granted a very special opportunity for the participants to ask questions of Him. He would answer them personally, He had promised. The first question and answer was in itself sufficient for life, nay lifetimes together.

1) For students, what is the way to have a relationship with God?

Ans - Why students alone? God is in you. Live in Love as one with God. It is only when God is considered as separate that you need a relationship. He is not separate. God is in me and is me. Have this identity firmly entrenched in your being.

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Superb Aravind, yes we forget the question Ko Hum and make an effort to find the right answer So Hum / Tatwa Masi / Ayam Brahmasmi.......we spend our lives indulging in what we physically perceive to be real and delude ourselves. Thanks and Sairam.

My pranams at his lotus feet the almighty swami our beloved Brother the commentary published here is so powerful and wonderful only if we understand to the fullest and inscribe it in our life the ultimate benefits can be reaped by us I pray Swami to give me the understanding to inscribe in my life his teachings and help my fellow beings as brother you are doing it Sairam to you and I feel blessed to be connected to your blog as I learn through you swami's teaching Sairam

My pranams at his lotus feet the almighty swami our beloved Brother the commentary published here is so powerful and wonderful only if we understand to the fullest and inscribe it in our life the ultimate benefits can be reaped by us I pray Swami to give me the understanding to inscribe in my life his teachings and help my fellow beings as brother you are doing it Sairam to you and I feel blessed to be connected to your blog as I learn through you swami's teaching Sairam

I have been struggling with this teaching of Swami for some time now. I'm particularly unclear on why we need to pray to God/Swami when we are God? Doesn't the act of praying assume consent to dualism? Yet, I also feel guilty when I don't do namasmarana... And perhaps a more uncomfortable question, why does it matter if we are indeed God (assuming we have a similar understanding of God, which is inherently a vague concept)? What value does that understanding add to our lives in a practical sense?

Sometimes I also wonder about the transient nature of life and identity. We say my name is x, I am y etc. but all of these seem to be social constructs. I didn't even get to choose my name or my body! This thinking causes a nihilistic mindset: if everything is unreal, then why does really anything matter outside a narrow, worldly sense? Yet, this also makes me feel guilty because I want to uphold dharma, obligations to parents etc.